A Cup of Hot, Steamy Love
by MoonlightSpirit
Summary: What would have happened if Katara did not see Zuko at the Jasmine Dragon until she was seated and it was to late to get away? Has Zuko really changed? Will the friendship forming between Katara and Zuko grow into something more? Jet is alive? COMPLETE!
1. At the Teashop

**I was thinking what would have happened if Katara did go into the teashop in _The Guru_, and didn't meet Zuko until she was seated. This is the result of that thought.**

**_READ THIS:_ This story takes place when Zuko was acting all creepy nice, so he won't be hell bent on catching the Avatar in this story. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.**

"What do you say Momo? Wanna get some tea before we go to see the king?" Katara asked the flying lemur on her shoulder. Momo purred in agreement. Katara walked to the entrance of the tea shop and was greeted by a pretty, dark haired, fair-skinned, green eyed women in a green kimono.

"Hello and welcome to the Jasmine Tea Shop," she said politely, "Is it just you today?"

"Yes ma'am," said Katara. The lady led her to a table and gave her a menu.

"A waiter will be with you shortly," she said.

"Thank you," Katara said, opening the menu. Momo looked at the menu too, even though he didn't have a clue what it said.

"Hmmm, there's a lot of good tea here," said Katara, "Makes it hard to choose. What should I get Momo?" Momo reached out a paw to touch a pretty picture on the menu.

"Ginseng tea? Okay," Katara said.

"Welcome to the Jasmine Dragon, are you ready to order?" asked a male voice.

"Yes, can I have ginseng tea?" she said, her ocean blue eyes still on the menu.

"Anything else?" asked her waiter. Katara scanned over the menu one last time.

"Just some bread," she said.

"Okay. So ginseng tea and bread?" he said.

"Yes please," said Katara closing the menu.

"Your order will be here soon," her waiter said, reaching out hand to pick up her menu.

"Thank you," said Katara with a smile, looking up at him. And her smile faded. Standing next to her in green earth kingdom robes, messy longish black hair and a white apron was none other than Prince Zuko.

"You," she said in surprise. How could she not have reconized is voice? She guessed it was because he actually sounded kind. Momo looked up at the sound of alarm in Katara's voice, saw Zuko, and crawled into Katara's arm, hissing. Zuko looked at her. Not a hostile look. There wasn't even a frown on his face. He just looked at her curiously.

"Your name's Katara, right?" he asked, trying to recall her name.

"Y-yes," Katara stuttered, petting Momo so he would stop hissing. She didn't know what to do. She couldn't attack him because 1) It would look pretty odd if she attacked a waiter out of nowhere and 2) There was no water around and she wasn't about to bend someone's tea. To her surprise Zuko gave her a small smile.

"It's nice to see you again," he said. Katara raised an eyebrow. What was up with him? Wasn't he going to try to get her to tell him where was Aang? Was she in some sort of Twilight Zone?

"I'll be right back with your order," he said, walking off. Katara noticed that her heart was beating faster than usual. What was she going to do? Katara tapped her fingers nervously on the wooden table. Zuko came back a few minutes later.

"Here's your tea and bread," he said, placing the tray in front of her.

"T-Thank you," Katara stuttered. Zuko smiled and sat down in the seat across from her.

_Oh no, don't sit down,_ Katara whined in her mind.

"There's no need to be scared of me," he said. Katara found herself staring into his golden eyes, looking for a hint for the old Zuko. He wasn't there.

"I'm not after the Avatar anymore," he continued, "Lately, I've noticed, I'm free to choose my own destiny."

"Lee, I need you to pick up an order!" shouted Uncle Iroh from the kitchen.

"Lee?" asked Katara.

"My fake name," Zuko whispered, leaning closer to her so no one would hear, "Can you imagine what would happen if people found out we were Fire Nation." Zuko gave her a smile that made one side of his mouth go up higher than the other in an adorable way.

_Adorable?_ thought Katara, _Where did that come from?_ Zuko stood up to go back into the kitchen.

"Will I see you tomorrow?" he asked her.

"Um, yeah," said Katara.

_What are you saying?_ thought Katara, _I guess I should come, just to see if he really has changed and isn't chasing Aang anymore._

To her surprise, Zuko reached out and petted Momo's head, causing the flying lemur to purr. His hand brushed against Katara's. Katara fet her face become hot and knew she was blushing.

_Oh my spirits, I can't be blushing,_ she thought _Why would I be blushing because of Zuko?_

"So I'll see you tomorrow," he said with a smile that made Katara's heart skip a beat.

"See ya," said Katara. Once Zuko was back in the kitchen, Katara placed a hand over her frantically beating heart.

_What's wrong with me?_ she thought,_ Why is my heart beating so fast? I'm probably just startled to see him here. Yeah, that's it. I'm startled. But then what about the blush? Why did my face get all hot? Maybe I wasn't blushing. It was probably just the heat from him, being a firebender and all, that made my face feel hot. Yeah, the heat._

**There's the end of the first chapter. How is it so far? Love it, hate it, something in the middle? Please Review!**


	2. The Invitation

**Here's chapter 2. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.**

"Sugar Queen's back!" shouted Toph as she heard Katara walk through the door of their home.

"Hey Katara," said Aang cheerfully.

"Hi Aang," said Katara, distraactedly.

"You okay sis?" said Sokka, "You look kinda distracted."

"I'm fine. Just a little tired I guess," said Katara, "I'm gonna go to my room." Katara went to the room that she shared with Toph. She flopped, facedown on her bed with a huge sigh. She wasn't there for two seconds when Toph came in, closing the door behind her.

"Okay Sugar Queen, spill," said Toph, sitting on the edge of Katara's bed.

"What do you mean?" asked Katara, her voice muffled by her pillow.

"I know you were lying downstairs. You're not tired. And your heart was beating so fast I'm surprised it didn't jump right out your chest," said Toph.

"I don't want to talk about it," said Katara.

"Yes you do," said Toph with a smirk.

Why do I have to live with a human lie detector? thought Katara. She did actually need to talk to someone about this Zuko thing. Should she tell Aang? Did Zuko really change? Why did she suddenly feel all weird around Zuko?

"First you have to promise not to tell anyone," said Katara, finally lifting her face off the pillow and rolling over onto her back.

"Earthbender's honor," said Toph holding up her right hand.

"Well, remember that Prince Zuko guy Sokka and I told you about?"

"The one with the ponytail?" asked Toph.

"Yeah," answered Katara, "Well, he's here in Ba Sing Se. I saw him working at a tea shop I went to today. But he acted different. He was...nice. He wasn't his usual arrogant hot-tempered self."

"And your worried he's trying to capture Aang," finished Toph.

"Kinda, I also started to feel weird around him," said Katara, "Not that I haven't felt this way before," she mumbled to herself, forgetting Toph's superior hearing.

"You've felt this way before?" asked Toph incredulously.

"Umm, yeah," said Katara, silently cursing talking aloud.

"When?" asked Toph.

"Do you have to know?" groaned Katara, placing the pillow over her head.

"Yes," said Toph. Katara sighed.

"The Northern Water Tribe when I fought against him and he was really close to me and when he tied me to a-" Katara stopped herself, knowing that Toph could take the last flashback the wrong way.

"A what?" asked Toph, lifting the pillow off Katara's head, suddenly interested in Katara's love life.

"Something," mumbled Katara.

"Tell me or I'll tell Sokka everything you just told me," threatened Toph.

"A tree," said Katara. Toph snickered.

"Someone's kinky," snickered Toph.

"I was his prisoner," grumbled Katara. Toph burst out laughing, clutching her sides and falling onto the bed.

"He had captured me in order to try to get me to tell him where Aang was," said Katara.

"How did he get the answer out of you?" Toph laughed even harder.

"Toph, are you going to take this seriously or not?" said Katara.

"Okay, I'm sorry," said Toph, controlling her self and sitting up, "So tell me about these feelings you've been having."

"My heart starts beating and my face starts heating up and I know I'm blushing," said Katara, "but maybe I'm just surprised to see him here. It's probably nothing I'm feeling." Toph thought about what Katara said for a moment.

"Are you going back to that teashop tomorrow," she asked.

"Yeah," said Katara slowly, wondering where Toph as going with this.

"I'm coming with you," said Toph, "I'll be able to tell by your heartbeat and breathing around this guy whether or not you're in love with him."

"I never said I was in love with him," said Katara, blushing.

"Right," said Toph with a smirk

* * *

"Hey Katara," said Zuko the next day when Katara and Toph went to the Jasmine Dragon.

"Hi Zuko," said Katara, "This is my friend Toph."

" 'Sup," Toph said.

"Hello," said Zuko, "So what do you two want?"

"Ginseng Tea," said Katara. The ginseng tea she had the other was really good.

"I'll try Ginseng too," said Toph. When Zuko walked off, Toph had a smile on her face.

"Katara, Katara, Katara," said Toph, shacking her head, "You've got it bad for this guy,"

"I do not," argued Katara.

"Do not argue with my superior senses," said Toph, "You're heart was beating so hard I'm surprised he didn't hear it and your breathing was so uneven I can't believe you were able to talk. You're in love Katara." Katara put her elbows on the table and put her face in her hands.

"How did this happen?" she said, more to herself than to Toph.

"Well you were probably captivated by his looks and charm," joked Toph.

"Not helping Toph," said Katara, lifting her head from her hands.

"Here's your order," said Zuko, reappearing.

"Katara, can I speak to you in private?" he asked.

"Ummm, okay?" said Katara, looking at Toph for help. Toph merely sipped her tea. Katara stood up and followed Zuko outside.

"I was wondering," he said, scratching the back of his head, "Well, the Earth King invited my uncle to serve tea at a ball he's having in two weeks and I was wondering if maybe you wanted to come with me to it."

"Ummm, I'd love too," said Katara.

_Katara, what are you saying?_ she thought, _Maybe Toph's right and I do love Zuko. No, that can't be. Arrrg, I've got to stop arguing with myself._

"So I'll meet you here around sundown in two weeks," said Zuko.

"Okay," said Katara. Zuko smiled at her turned around to go back into the Jasmine Dragon. Katara was about to follow him back inside when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around and her ocean blue eyes met familiar brown eyes. Katara stepped back and was able to see the messy brown hair and ragged clothes.

"Hello Katara," said Jet.

**Jet's back! Will this be a good thing or a bad thing? Keep reading to find out. Please Review!**


	3. As a Friend

**Thanks for the great reviews. Here's chapter 3.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.**

"Jet!" said Katara in surprise, suddenly, she wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

"You're alive," she said happily, tears of joy forming in her eyes.

"It's nice to see you again too," Jet said with a smile, wrapping his arms around Katara.

"I can't believe you're alive," said Katara, tears now flowing freely down her face, "I thought you were-" she couldn't say 'dead'.

"It's okay Katara, I'm right here," he said, rubbing her back soothingly as she cried into his chest.

"Boy, you sure do get around, don't ya Sugar Queen," said Toph, appearing from behind Katara. Katara jumped, breaking away from Jet.

"So Jet, I see you're alive," said Toph.

"I'm not easy to kill," said Jet with his usual grin.

"Wait until Sokka and Aang hear that alive!" said Katara excitedly.

"Why don't you come see them?" suggested Toph.

"Okay," Jet agreed. So the three of them made their way to the house.

"Guess who we found," yelled Toph when they walked through the door.

"Who?" yelled Sokka's voice from the kitchen.

"Who?" came Aang's voice from someplace in the house.

"Hey guys," yelled Jet.

Sokka came running from the kitchen to the door, mouth full of food, and Aang came from his random part of the house.

"JET?!" they both said in disbelief.

"I thought you were dead," said Sokka.

'We'll I'm not," said Jet.

"How did you escape?" asked Aang.

"Well, Smellerbee told me that Longshot carried me out of Lake Laogai," said Jet, 'They took care of me. They said I was unconscious for about three days. They thought I was going to die. So it was a surprise then I finally woke up. Soon I was able to walk and I was back to my old self."

"You really gave us a scare there Jet," said Sokka.

"Why don't we celebrate," said Aang, "I've heard of this great teashop nearby called the Jasmine Dragon. We could go there." Katara began to panic and even Toph looked a bit worried.

"We can't go there," said Katara.

"Why?" asked Sokka.

"Toph and I were just there today and it's closed," lied Katara, "It was infested with...mirats." **(A/N: A mirat is a cross of a mouse and a rat. I made it up.)**

"You guys don't have to do anything," said Jet modestly.

"Well then I'm gonna go eat," said Sokka, standing up and going back into the kitchen.

"Twinkle toes, why don't we go practice earthbending," suggested Toph. The two of the walked out of the house, leaving Katara and Jet alone.

"Katara, can I talk to you outside?" asked Jet, standing up.

"Okay," said Katara, following him outside, where the sound of Toph and Aang earthbending could be heard in the backyard.

"What did you want to talk about?" asked Katara, sitting on the stairs leading to the front door.

"I just wanted to apologize for scaring you," said Jet, "You know, for thinking I was dead."

"It's okay," said Katara, suddenly interested in the ground beneath her feet, "I'm just glad your alive." Suddenly, she felt Jet's hand on her cheek as he turned her head to face him.

"I really missed you Katara," he said.

"I missed you too," said Katara. Jet leaned forward and it didn't take Katara long to find out he was trying to kiss her. Katara put her hand between them, stopping Jet's lips.

"What are you doing?" she asked him.

"I was going to kiss you," he said when Katara moved her hand away from his mouth.

"I know that much," said Katara, "But why were you going to kiss me."

"Katara, don't tell me you haven't felt it too," said Jet.

"Felt what?" asked Katara, becoming more confused by the minute.

"The attraction between us," said Jet.

"Well I haven't felt it," said Katara, removing Jet's hand from her face, "Jet I'm glad your alive and I like you, but as a friend and nothing more."

"There's someone else, isn't there?" asked Jet. Suddenly, Zuko's face ran through Katara's mind.

_Whoa, where did that come from?_ she thought.

"Sort of," she half lied. She was kinda going on a date with Zuko. That counted, didn't it. And there was the fact that she didn't like Jet anymore than a friend.

"It's Aang, isn't it?" asked Jet.

"No!" said Katara, "It's not Aang."

"Then who is it?" asked Jet. Katara was beginning to become very annoyed with Jet's nagging.

"Jet, it's none of your business," said Katara in an angry voice, her eyes getting an angry fire in them.

"I wanna who's the scum you like!" said Jet, becoming angry himself.

"Don't you ever call him that!" Katara shouted, standing up, her fists clenched, the angry fire in her eyes turning into a ferocious inferno"He's better than you and he's twice the man you'll ever be! Because he's changed. He's learned from his mistakes and he's done something about it. I see you haven't done any of that Jet." Katara spat out Jet's name like it was a curse. She didn't even know why she was defending Zuko, but she just felt as if she had to. Katara stormed up the steps back toward the door. Before he opened it, she turned back to Jet.

"Jet, you're my friend and I don't want to lose you. Now, you can have me as a friend, or you won't have me at all," she said, before disappearing inside the house, leaving a stunned Jet outside.

**Whoa, Katara was cold in that last line. How will Jet take Katara's little outburst, (which wasn't so little)? There's one more familiar face that will turn up in the next chapter. Can you guess who it is? And Please Review!**


	4. Katara in Love?

**Thanks for all the great reviews. There's going to be a familiar face in this chapter. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.**

"You must be _really_ angry at that tea," said Zuko when Katara was in the Jasmine Dragon the next day, stirring sugar furiously in her tea.

"It's not the tea," said Katara.

"I'm on break now," said Zuko, "why don't we take a walk and you can tell me about it." Katara finished her tea and followed Zuko outside. He led her to a small, pretty park.

"So, what was causing you to attack your tea," asked Zuko as they walked around.

"Jet," said Katara angrily. Zuko recognized the name of the boy who accused him and his uncle of being Fire Nation.

"What did he do?" asked Zuko. Katara as she sat down on a bench.

"Well first, the idiot tried to kiss me," Katara began, suddenly wondering what it would be like to kiss Zuko.

_Stop doing that brain, _she said to herself. Zuko felt his blood boil at the mention of Jet trying to kiss Katara.

"What else?" he said through clenched teeth. Katara didn't notice this.

"Then he was talking how there was an attraction between me and him," Katara continued, "I told him I didn't feel a thing and he assumed that there was someone else."

"Is there?" asked Zuko. Katara blushed and looked away from Zuko.

"Um, I'm not sure," she said, "Anyway, then Jet said he would like to know who was the scum I liked and I started yelling at him not to call him that and how the guy changed and stuff." Katara didn't want to recall the whole argument.

"But, knowing Jet, he won't give up that easily," said Katara, frustrated at the thought of Jet pestering her.

"Why can't he just back off!" she shouted, scaring some nearby birds out of their tree.

"Katara, calm down," said Zuko, half-scared she would lash out on him next. Then he did something surprising and put his hand on hers. Katara was blushing again, looking from there hand, to Zuko and back again.

"Zuko-" the rest of her sentence seemed to get caught in her throat.

_Oh no, I think I'm falling in love with him,_ thought Katara as she thought of something her mother had told her when she was young:

_Flashback_

_**"Mommy," said a five year old Katara to her mother, who was waterbending by the ocean, "How did you know you were in love with daddy?"**_

_**"Why do you ask Katara?" asked her mother, stopping her waterbending and sitting on the ground.**_

_**"I wanna know in case I fall in love," said Katara, joining her mother on the ground.**_

_**"Well, when you fall in love," her mother began, "It'll be with someone special. Maybe even someone you didn't expect to fall in love with. I never expected I would fall in love with your dad. And when you're in love, that boy is the only thing ever on your mind. Everything you do will somehow make you think of him. Sometime's, he might pop into your mind without warning when you hear things like 'love' or 'kiss'. And when you're around him, your hearts speeds up and you're suddenly breathless. When he holds your hand, you can't even get a full sentence out of your mouth. When he holds you in his arms, you feel safe and protected, as if nothing could hurt you. And when he kisses you," her mother gave a dreamy sigh, "When he kisses you, it's the most wonderful feeling in the world. It's like you're the only two in the entire world and nothing else matters. It's almost like flying. And if he really loves you, he"ll give you one of these," her mother gestured to the necklace around her neck**_

_**"You grandmother gave me this necklace," she said, "And someday Katara, it will be passed down to you. If the boy really loves you, he'll give you one of these. It's a betrothal necklace."**_

_**"Betrothal?" asked Katara, not knowing the meaning of the word. Katara's mother smiled.**_

_**"It means he wants to marry you," she said.**_

_End Flashback_

Katara could easily argue with Toph, but there was no way she could argue with her own mother. And her mother was right. Katara was in love. It wasn't love as first sight. It was probably after he had tied her to a tree and he was so close to her-whispering in her ear, sending chill down her spine-it was then that she started to have these feelings for him. And now they were back stronger than ever.

Katara never did expect to fall in love with Zuko. If someone had since told her that she would fall in love with the Prince of the fire nation, she would ask that person to seek medical health because something was obviously wrong with their brain for them to think such a thing. And he had been on her mind a lot. Katara remembered when she told Jet that she 'sort of' had someone else, and how Zuko popped unexpectedly in her mind. She remebered when she told Zko about Jet almost kissing her and then she found herelf wondeirng what it would be like to kiss Zuko. She remembered how her heart would speed up around him and how she suddenly felt breathless. And thanks to his hand till on hers, her mouth still couldn't form a sentence.

But maybe words weren't needed. Slowly, Zuko started to lean in toward Katara and Katara leaned in too. Their lips met in a gentle kiss. Her mother had been right. Kissing Zuko felt wonderful. It gave Katara a feeling she never had before. And for that moment, it seemed as if Katara and Zuko were the only people in the world. That was until a voice screeched in surprise and horror, "LEE!"

Breaking apart at the sudden intrusion, Katara and Zuko looked up to see in front of them a girl with her arms crossed in front of her green robes, messy brown hair, light skin, green eyes that were currently narrowed in anger and a frown on her prettty face.

"Jin!" Zuko said in surprise.

**Uh-oh, Jin's back and she saw Zuko and Katara kissing. This won't be good. Keep reading to find out what happens next. Please Review!**


	5. Realization and Trouble

**Thanks for the great reviews! Here's chapter 5!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.**

"Jin!" said Zuko in surprise.

"Who is she?" asked Jin, looking at Katara with hatred.

"I'm Katara," Katara said, disliking the girl with every passing second. Jin surveyed Katara's blue clothes and eyes, tan skin and long dark brown hair.

"I take it that you're a waterbender," said Jin.

"Yes," said Katara. The two girls glared at each other. Zuko broke the uncomfortable silence.

"Jin, why are you here?" he asked.

"I had came to see you at the Jasmine Dragon, but your uncle said that you had gone off with a friend," said Jin, "I didn't know it was a girlfriend. I thought I was your girlfriend Lee."

"_Girlfriend!_" said Katara shrilly, jealousy running through her veins. She didn't even know why she was suddenly jealous. Both girls were now glaring at Zuko. Zuko was now fully understanding the saying _Hell hath no fury like a women's wrath._

"Geez, such a banshee," said Jin, wincing at Katara's screech.

"Excuse me?" said Katara, standing up and putting her hands on her hips.

"You heard me," said Jin, taking a step toward her.

"I'm not sure if I'd want to listen to a floozy like you," said Katara, starting to go into bitch mode.

"Floozy? Looks who's talking, the girl kissing a guy with a girlfriend."

"Look, I didn't know you were his girlfriend, but I don't see why and I don't think you re or else-" Katara suddenly realized something.

_Or else he wouldn't be kissing me,_ she thought, finishing her own sentence in her head. Was Zuko just using her? Not to sound snobby, but Katara knew she was beautiful. She noticed the looks boys would give her whenever she, Aang, Sokka and Toph would stop at a village. She could feel their eyes following her. Everyone thought she was oblivious to this, but she wasn't.

Was Zuko just kissing her because she was pretty? And, even worse, was he luring her under a false sense of security, just to get to Aang. These thoughts overwhelmed Katara as she looked at Zuko. Zuko was shocked to see the anger that use to be in her eyes replaced with shock, sadness and┘hurt?

Without warning Katara ran away from Zuko and Jin. She heard Zuko yelling her name, but she kept running, tears blurring her vision. Storm clouds began to roll in out of nowhere and rain poured down on the waterbender. Katara kept running, her hair coming out of its braid not noticing that she had run into an alley. She only noticed where she was when she ran into someone. She looked up to see Jet.

"Jet," she said in surprise.

"Katara," Jet said with a smirk. A smirk that Katara didn't like. She took a step back, but Jet grabbed her arms, pinning them to her sides.

"Jet what are you doing?" said Katara, struggling to free herself from Jet's grasp.

"Something I should have done a long time ago," said Jet. His lips came crashing down on Katara's. If her mouth was free, Katara would have screamed, but she couldn't. All she could do was struggle helplessly as Jet's tounge slid into her mouth. Katara felt tears fall from her eyes, mixing with the falling rain.

Jet pinned Katara to a wall, making her unable to fight against him. Jet's hand reached for the white sash around Katar's waist that was holding her robe together.

_Oh no_, she thought, _Oh spirits no. Please don't let him do this. Let someone, anyone, come._

Jet began to slip the robe off Katara's shoulder...and was punched in the head. Katara fell to the ground. The punch to Jet's head had been, not from her, but from Zuko. Jet was knocked out cold. Zuko knelt in front of the cold, wet whimpering Katara.

"Katara, are you okay?" he asked softy. She was looking at the ground, loose strands from her braid covering her face. Zuko reached out to touch her shoulder, but she recoiled.

"Katara, it's me, Zuko," he said gently.

"Get away from me," she said. Zuko could here tears in her voice.

"Katara, what's wrong?" he asked, "Jet's knocked out. He's not going to hurt you."

"You hurt me," Katara said, finally looking up at Zuko, tears streaming down her face.

"How?" Zuko asked, confused.

"I'm not dumb Zuko," she said, her voice suddenly cold, "You were using me. You were pretending to be my friend just to lure me into a false sense of security and capture Aang."

"Katara, we're did you come up with an idea like that?" asked Zuko.

"Is it true?" Katara asked quietly. It was then that Zuko saw just how scared Katara was of being betrayed. She looked so fragile and scared and vulnerable. That's when Zuko did something that people thought he would do when hell freezes over and pigs fly on mars. He hugged Katara. He hed her close to him, letting her cry into his chest.

"Of course it's not true," said Zuko. He sighed and said what he had been dying to say for the longest time.

"Katara," he said, stroking he back soothingly, "I would never hurt you. When I first saw you, I thought you were the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. When I had your necklace, I would run my fingers over it and think of you. Your eyes, your hair, your face, your lips," Zuko whispered the last word so quietly that Katara barley heard it.

"Katara, you're unlike any girl I've ever met. You're special," said Zuko, "You're strong, determined, fearless. I love you for that. I love you Katara."

The last four words echoed in Katara's mind. _I love you, Katara_. He loved her. HE LOVED HER!!! Katara looked up into Zuko's golden eyes and finally said what she had been holding in and denying for such a long time.

"I love you too Zuko," she said. Zuko smiled at her.

"You don't know how long I've been waiting for you to say that," he said. And with that, he leaned his head down and captured Katara's lips in a gentle kiss. Katara smiled as she kissed him back. It was so different from kissing Jet. Jet's kiss had been harsh and rough while Zuko's kiss was soft and gentle and sweet. He held her as if she was glass and would break if he touched her to hard.

Katara decided that the kiss was just a bit too innocent and slid her tounge into Zuko's mouth. Zuko was surprised at first, but reacted quickly. Katara ran her hand through his messy, wet, black hair. Somewhere during the time they were kissing, the rain had stopped and the sun shone.

"I should be getting back," said Katara when the two of them finally broke apart, "Aang, Sokka and Toph must be worried." Zuko nodded and the two of them got up, Katara fixing her robe and re-braiding her hair. The two of them walked hand in hand. When Katara's house came into view, she stopped.

"I'll walk there from here," she said, "Aang and Sokka might freak out if they see you. Scratch that, they _will _freak out if they see you."

"Won't they eventually find out about us?" asked Zuko.

"Yeah," said Katara, "But I should break the news to them softly. Or as softly as this kind of news can be broken." She kissed him softly.

"I'll see you at the Jasmine Dragon tomorrow," she said. With that, she walked down the sidewalk to her house. Zuko watched her until she was through the door and safely in the house.

"Katara, where have you been?!" asked Sokka, when Katara walked through the door "We've been worried sick."

"Sorry, I got lost," Katara lied.

"Hey Katara," said Aang, coming into the room, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Aang" said Katara.

"Did Sokka tell you the good news?" asked Aang.

"No, what is it?" asked Katara.

"The Earth King invited all of us to a ball he's having in about two weeks," said Aang excitedly. Katara felt as if her heart stopped. The Earth King had invited them a ball that was happening in about two weeks. The same ball Zuko had invited her to.

**Uh-oh, conflict for Katara. What will happen? Keep reading to find out! Please Review!**


	6. Love and Life: Sometimes, They Don't Mix

**Thanks for the great reviews. Here's chapter 6.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.**

The next day, Katara and Toph had gone shopping for dresses for the Earth King's ball (Katara actually had to practically drag Toph to the store). Toph was feeling the fabric of different dresses, telling Katara which she liked the best so she could try them on. Katara had already chosen her dress. A strapless shimmery ice blue gown with dark blue ruffles on the bottom that looked like ocean waves and a pair of ice blue high heels.

"Katara, what are you so worried about?" asked Toph. Katara's irregular heartbeat was beginning to get on her nerves.

"I sort of have a problem," said Katara, "You know that ball the Earth King invited us too?"

"Yeah," answered Toph, deciding against choosing a dress made of rough material.

"Well I already accepted Zuko's invitation to the same ball," said Katara.

"Well there in lie a problem," said Toph, "Won't Twinkle Toes be disappointed."

"What's Aang have to do with this?" asked Katara.

"He's going to ask you to the ball," said Toph, feeling a light green dress and deciding the material was too thick.

"You're kidding," said Katara as Toph picked out a final dress and they made their way to the dressing rooms.

"What, you haven't noticed he's madly in love with you?" said Toph, stating the obvious as she stepped into the dressing room with the dresses Katara handed to her **(A/N: Toph can dress herself, can't she?).**

"Aang is in love with me?" asked Katara, leaning against the wall outside the dressing room, crossing her arms, "And how do you know he's going to ask me to the ball?"

"Yes and he told me while you were 'lost'," Toph said as she went into the dressing room. She said 'lost' as if she knew that Katara was lying. She _did _know Katara was lying. Katara groaned.

"You mean you've been traveling with Aang all this time and you never noticed he was in love with you?" asked Toph, tossing over the door a dress that didn't fit. Katara thought back a while. She did notice the looks that Aang would give her. Sometimes he would catch him staring at her. Katara just never took the time to think that Aang like her more than a friend. _A lot _more.

"So who are you going to go to the ball with?" Toph asked.

"Zuko," answered Katara, "I mean, Aang is a great friend and all, but I don't _love _him. I love Zuko."

"Well, you should be telling Twinkle Toes that, not me," said Toph, "How does this dress look? I like the fabric." Toph stepped out the dressing room. She was dressed in a long sleeve green grown decorated with dark green curling vines and leaves. The dress showed off the small, barley there curves. She was wearing a pair of flat green sandals Katara had found for her. The sole was so thin that it was almost touching the floor, so Toph felt somewhat comfortable in them.

"You look great!" said Katara.

"Really?" said Toph with a small smile.

"Absolutely beautiful," said Katara, beaming at her friend. Toph's smile grew.

"I guess I'll get it then," said Toph. She went to change back into her own clothes. The two of them got some accessories before paying for their stuff and leaving.

"Why don't we go to the Jasmine Dragon before heading back? I need to talk to Zuko anyway," said Katara. Toph agreed. So the two of them headed over to the teashop.

"Hello," said Zuko when he got to their table.

"Hi, Zu-Lee," said Katara, catching herself just in time.

"Hey," said Toph.

"The usual Katara?" he asked (the usual is Ginseng).

"Yes," said Katara, smiling.

"I'll try Jasmine tea," said Toph. Zuko walked off, flashing Katara a smile. When he was out of earshot, Toph made a fake gagging noise.

"What was that for?" asked Katara.

"You two are _so _in love?" said Toph rolling her pale white-blue eyes. **(A/N: I know people say Toph's eyes are pale green, but for some reason, they look like a pale white-blue to me. Am I the only one who thinks this?)**

"Well, he's a great guy," said Katara, looking dreamily at Zuko as he worked behind he counter.

"And isn't his name-" Toph began to say, but Katara cut her off.

"Lee is his fake name," she whispered so no one would hear, "So no one will know he's fire nation."

Zuko came back with their tea. He sat with the two of them since he had break now.

"So Katara, why don't you tell Zu-Lee, about your little problem?" suggested Toph. Katara glared at her friend, who obviously couldn't see the glare.

"What problem?" asked Zuko. Katara sipped her tea, buying time.

"It's just that Toph, Sokka, Aang and I were invited to the same ball you asked me to and Aang is going to ask me to go with him because he's madly in love with me," said Katara as calmly as she could, "It's not a big deal."

"Well, did you tell them about us?" asked Zuko.

"No," mumbled Katara. Zuko stood.

"Katara, can I talk to you in private?" he asked. Katara nodded.

"I'll be back soon Toph," she said.

"Take your time," Toph replied. Zuko led Katara to a back room filled with boxes of tealeaves and lit by candles. Zuko closed the door behind them and leaned against it.

"Zuko, I'm sorry about this," said Katara, "I-"

"Don't apologize," said Zuko, "It's okay. But Katara…" Zuko wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his forehead against hers.

"We're in love with each other. We won't be able to hide it forever," he said. Katara enjoyed the feeling of his warm breath against her face. His breath smelled like tea.

"I know," she said, "But Sokka hates you and Aang is in love with me. It's all so confusing." Zuko reached up and caressed Katara cheek with his hand. Katara sighed contently, leaning into his touch.

"I know how hard this must be for you Katara," he said, "You don't have to go to the ball with me if you don't want to."

"No, I want to go with you," she said, wrapping her arms around Zuko's neck "And I'll talk to Aang and Sokka today."

"Are you sure Katara?" Zuko asked. Katara smiled and gave Zuko a soft kiss on the lips. Zuko even tasted like tea.

"Yes," she answered.

* * *

"Aang! Sokka! I need to talk to you two!" Katara yelled when she and Toph got home. Sokka and Zuko came into the room.

"What is it Katara?" asked Aang. Katara looked into Aang's innocent gray eyes and almost lost her nerve. She was about to break his heart. Katara took a deep breath and said in one breath, "Zuko-and-I-are-boyfriend-and-girlfriend-and-we're-in-love-and-I'm-going-with-him-to-the-Earth-King's-ball."

The silence following her outburst was deafening. Aang's stormy gray eyes shone with tears before he stood up and ran out the room to his own room, slamming the door loudly behind him. Sokka seemed to get over his shock.

"KATARA! HOW COULD YOU!" he shouted.

"What do you mean?" asked Katara.

"You've betrayed us!" shouted Sokka, "How could you fall in love with the enemy?!"

"He's not our enemy Sokka!" yelled Katara, "He's changed!"

"CHANGED!" yelled Sokka, "THE BASTARD HUNTED US DOWN AND TRIED TO KILL US!"

"HE'S NOT LIKE THAT ANYMORE!" yelled Katara, tears of frustration appearing in her ocean blue eyes.

"YOU CAN'T TRUST HIM KATARA!" shouted Sokka.

"I LOVE HIM SOKKA AND HE LOVES ME!"

"HE'S JUST USING YOU TO GET TO AANG!"

"YOU CAN'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!"

"I'M KEEPING MY PROMISE TO DAD AND PROTECTING YOU FROM GUYS LIKE HIM!"

"YOU'RE NOT AND YOU NEVER WILL BE DAD SOKKA! YOU CAN'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!" shouted Katara. Now that stung. Sokka was taken aback by this. Even Toph, who had been sitting in a corner watching the whole scene unfold, shook her head, knowing Katara had gone too far.

"I'm going to talk to Aang," Katara mumbled, leaving behind a stunned Sokka and Toph. Katara walked to Aang's door, hearing sob on the other side. She knocked on the door.

"Aang, it's me," she said softly.

"Go away," Aang sobbed. Katara was hurt by the hatred put into those two words.

"Aang, please let me in," asked Katara.

"No!" shouted Aang. Katara opened the door, but it was closed again by a blast of air.

"Aang, please," Katara cried, tears beginning to stream down her face, "I want to talk to you."

"Why don't you go talk to _Zuko_?" he said the word 'Zuko' as if it were a curse word.

"Aang, I want to talk to you," she said through her tears. The door opened a crack to reveal Aang's head peeking out, his eyes red from crying and tear streaks down his face. His normally kind gray eyes were now full of hatred and hurt.

"Katara, how could you?" he asked, his voice chocked with tears, "How could you betray us? How could you betray _me_? I love you Katara. I LOVE YOU AND YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH THE GUY THAT'S BEEN TRYING TO KILL ME!"

"He's changed," Katara said sadly, avoiding looking at Aang's eyes.

"He hasn't changed Katara," said Aang, "You have." And with that, Aang slammed the door in Katara's face, leaving her outside in the hallway as her whole life fell apart.

**That was a sad chapter. Will Katara ever fix things with Sokka and Aang? Keep reading to find out! Also, since school is starting soon, I won't be able to update a quickly as I use to, but I'll still update as fast as I can! Please Review!**


	7. Breaking to Pieces

**Thanks for all the great reviews! Here's chapter 7! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.**

"Katara, can I come in?" asked Toph from the other side of the door.

"Yeah," said Katara sadly. She was sitting on her bed, hugging her knees to her chest, tear streaks on her face. Toph came in, closing the door behind her and sitting on the edge of Katara's bed.

"Hey, Katara," Toph said, putting a small hand on Katara's shoulder. Toph was trying to be kind since she knew how bad Katara was feeling.

"It's okay," Toph continued, "Sokka and Aang were just shocked. They'll get over it."

"No they won't," Katara said, feeling tears in her eyes, "They hate me."

"They don't hate you," said Toph, "They're just not thrilled with the idea of you loving someone that tried to kill all of you guys."

"They'll never talk to me again," said Katara, her shoulders shaking as tears poured from her eyes. Toph did something that she never did before and hugged Katara. Usually Katara was the one that did the hugging, but Toph could see how broken her friend was feeling. Katara sobbed into Toph's shoulder as the young earthbender rubbed her back soothingly.

"Toph, I feel so lost," she sobbed, "I don't know what to do. Sokka and Aang will never accept Zuko."

"You just have to show them he's changed," said Toph, "You have to show them how much you love him."

"But how?" cried Katara.

"Let them see you with him at the ball," answered Toph. Toph pulled back from Katara enough to look into her ocean blue eyes. Actually, she was looking slightly to the left of Katara, but it was close enough.

"Katara, when I was around you I could feel you smiling," said Toph, "Your heartbeat sped up so fast. Even someone blind like me could tell you were in love with him."

"Do you really think they'll understand Toph," Katara asked, wiping her eyes.

"I know they'll understand," said Toph with a reassuring smile. Katara hugged her again.

"Thanks Toph," she said. Toph just shrugged and said, "What are friends for?"

**The next day**

Katara was walking through a park as the sun set by herself. Neither Aang nor Sokka had spoken to her the whole day. Suddenly, a pair of hands slid over her eyes. She panicked until a familiar voice whispered in her ear, "Guess who?"

"Zuko," she said. She turned around to see Zuko's smiling face. Zuko leaned down to kiss her, until he noticed how red her eyes were and the tear streaks that stained her tan face.

"You've been crying," he said. Katara looked down, avoiding Zuko's golden eyes.

"No I haven't," she mumbled. Zuko put a hand under her chin and lifted her head up. Katara averted her eyes away from Zuko's.

"Katara, look at me," he said. Katara slowly turned her eyes onto Zuko's.

"What's wrong?" he asked softly. Before she knew it, Katara was spilling out every that had happened the day before. The argument she had gotten into with Sokka and Aang. By the end of it, she was in tears again, crying into Zuko's chest as he held her close.

"Katara, maybe we shouldn't see each other anymore," suggested Zuko, beginning to pull away from her. Katara then clutched to Zuko as if her life depended on it.

"Zuko, no!" she said, sounding as if she was about to go into hysterics, "My life is falling apart as it is. I can't take anymore." Katara was now shaking uncontrollably. Zuko was shocked to see her like this, as if she was breaking into pieces right before his eyes.

"Come on, let's go to the Jasmine Dragon and I'll get you some tea," said Zuko. Zuko led her to the teashop, which was now empty since it was closed. Zuko made her some Ginseng tea while she sat at a table.

"Feel better?" he asked, taking a seat across from her.

"A little," said Katara. She looked out the window at the setting sun.

"I should be getting back home," she said. Zuko nodded. He walked her home, stopping a block away so Sokka and Aang couldn't see him.

"Katara, everything will be fine," he said, trying to reassure her.

"I know," said Katara. But she didn't know if she believed his words.

**Keep on reading. Something interesting happens in the next chapter. Please Review!**


	8. A Cinderella Moment

**Thanks for the great reviews. Here's chapter 8!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.**

Katara and Toph were in their room, getting ready for the ball. Katara still wasn't on speaking terms with Sokka and Aang, despite the week and a half it had been since their fight.

Katara had done their make up. Toph was wearing green eye shadow, pink lipstick and pale pink blush, bring more color to her pale skin. She had bought a silver necklace with a green leaf pendent and green earrings shaped like leaves and a silver bracelet with a green leaf charm. Her black hair hung down to her shoulders.

Katara was wearing dark blue eye shadow with red lipstick, her mother's necklace with blue raindrop shaped earrings and several silver braclets. Katara kept looking at herself in the mirror, admiring her reflection. The dress didn't flow out, but hugged her curves perfectly** (A/N: If you watch Sailor Moon, think of how Neo-Queen Serenity's dress and that's how Katara's is)**. Her feet, dressed in icy blue high heels disappeared under the dark blue ruffles of the dress. Her hair was down out of its usual braid and kept out of her face by two blue rose pins.

"Katara, are you sure I look okay?" Toph asked for the five hundredth sixty fourth time.

"Toph, you look great," said Katara.

"Well, I'm heading to the ball with Snoozles and Twinkle Toes," said Toph, "Are you coming with us?"

"No," said Katara, "I'll meet you guys there." Toph just shrugged and left the room. Katara began to twirl around the room, her eyes closed, imagining he was dancing with Zuko. She could see every part of him clearly. His pale skin, strong hands, shaggy black hair, and his amazing golden eyes-

"Katara, what are you doing?" asked a voice, breaking into Katara's daydream. Katara turned to see Sokka staring in the doorway, a confused expression on his face. He was dressed in midnight blue robes and black shoes.

"Nothing," said Katara, avoiding looking her brother in the eye. She pretended to be fixing her hair in the mirror.

"Why are you all dressed up?" Sokka asked, leaning against the doorframe. It was Katara's turn to look confused.

"I'm going to the ball," she answered.

"No you're not," he said. Katara finally turned to face her older brother. She saw he was holding a key in his hand. More importantly, it was the key to her room.

"What do you mean?" Katara asked, becoming suspicious of her brothers actions.

"You're not meeting Zuko," said Sokka, his ice blue eyes becoming full of hatred. Then, without warning, Sokka closed the door behind him. Katara tried to run to stop him, but it was too late. Sokka had locked the door behind him.

"Sokka, let me out!" she shouted, knocking on the door.

"Katara, I'm doing this for your own good," said Sokka.

"TOPH! AANG! HELP!" Katara shouted.

"They're outside. They can't hear you" said Sokka. Katara heard his footsteps get farther away.

"Sokka, get back here and let me out!" she shouted, pounding on the door. Katara heard the front door close, knowing Sokka had left.

"The idiot!" Katara shouted, "What am I going to do now?" Katara looked around the room, looking for something that might help her. Her eyes landed on the mirror. But what caught her eye was what was reflected in the mirror. The blue rose pins she was wearing in her hair. She took one of them out of her hair and began to pick the lock with it.

"Come on," she mumbled. The lock suddenly clicked.

"Yes!" she said, opening the door and replacing her hair pin. Katara went downstairs and opened the door. The Earth King had sent a carriage for them, but it had already left with Sokka, Aang and Toph. So Katara had no choice but to walk. She had not gotten far when a gold carriage drawn by six ostrich-horses stopped next to her. The door opened to reveal a girl about her age holding an elegant gold and purple fan. The girl was wearing a silk purple strapless gown with matching high heels. The gown had elegant gold flowers sewn into it. The girl had smooth brown skin, emerald green eyes and wild black curly hair **(A/N: Does this sound familiar to anyone?)**. She was wearing purple-gold eyeshadow and red lipstick. On her wrists were everal gold bracelets. Around her neck was a gold necklace with a pendent of a cat and lion back-to-back, their tails intertwining to make a heart **(A/N: Does the necklace sound familiar?)**.

"Do you need a ride?" the girl asked, "You look as if you're going to the Earth King's ball, but it's a long walk from here."

"Yes, I do need a ride?" said Katara. The girl helped her into the carriage. Katara sat across from the girl. The inside of the carriage was lined with dark red velvet.

"I'm Alazira," the girl said, holding out a hand for Katara to shake **(A/N: Does the name sound familiar to anyone? It should if you read my Inuyasha story **_**Just a Little Help)**_.

"I'm Katara," said Katara, shaking her hand.

"Katara," said Alazira curiously, "The master waterbender? The only girl to be taught by Master Pakku at the North Pole?"

"Yeah," said Katara, "How did you know?"

"I'm a waterbender from the North Pole too," Alazira said, "I've been traveling around the world. When I had returned to the North Pole for a while, there was talk about a girl named Katara being taught by Master Pakku. You had left before I got a chance to meet you. It's such an honor to meet you now!"

"Thanks," said Katara, smiling for the first time in days.

"But I also heard you were at the North Pole with the Avatar and you're brother. Why aren't you with them?"

"We got into a fight?" said Katara, her smile fading.

"About what?" asked Alazira, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

However, Katara told Alazira everything. Somehow, it was comforting talking to her. Alazira listened intently, not interrupting. She listened to how Katara and Zuko use to be enemies and how they met up again. How they fell in love. How Sokka did not approve of him and how Aang was madly in love with her.

"Don't worry," said Alazira, "You just have to show them how mush you love him."

"How?" asked Katara. Alazira thought for a minute.

"Well, by the way you were talking about this Zuko, you really do love him," said Alazira, "You should let your brother and the Avatar see you with him. Maybe the two of you would be dancing or talking or laughing. But let them see how happy you are with this guy and how much he means to you." Katara thought this over and smiled.

"That's a great idea," said Katara. Then a confused look crossed Katara's face.

"I never thought I'd be trying to prove to my brother and Aang that I love Zuko," she said. Alazira smiled.

"It's like I always say," said Alazira, "Sometimes, you fall in love with the person you least expect to."

**There's the end of chapter 8! I wasn't planning to put Alazira in it, but somehow, she just fit. Anyway, Please Review!**


	9. At the Ball

**Thanks for the great reviews! Here's chapter 9!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.**

The carriage let Alazira and Katara off in front of the Earth King's palace. The two girls walked into the palace together. The ballroom was filled with women in long gowns and men in royal robes. Katara spotted Aang, Sokka and Toph across the room. Toph looked up as Katara came in, as if she recognized Katara's footsteps. She seemed to say something to Sokka and Aang and walked toward where Katara and Alazira were standing.

"Oh, spirits," Katara said, hiding behind Alazira, "I hope Sokka and Aang didn't see me."

"Katara, where have you been?" asked Toph appearing in front of the two girls.

"Sokka locked me in my room so I couldn't see Zuko," said Katara, coming out of her hiding place behind Alazira, "Did he and Aang see me?"

"No. I just told them I was going to the bathroom," said Toph, "Who's your friend."

"Oh, this is Alazira. Alazira, this is my friend Toph," Katara introduced, "Alazira gave me a ride here."

"Nice to meet you," said Alazira, shaking Toph's hand.

"Same here," said Toph.

"Toph, have you seen Lee?" Katara asked. Toph frowned.

"Umm, 'felt' I mean," she asked.

"I thought you were looking for-" Alazira began to say, until Katara interrupted, explaining Zuko's fake name 'Lee'.

"Well, there's been someone standing near the entrance all day," said Toph, "He just went somewhere a couple of minutes ago."

"Katara?" asked a voice nearby. Katara turned to see…

"Zuko-Lee!" she exclaimed, hugging him. Zuko was dressed in dark green robes, his hair still as messy as ever.

"So you're the famous 'Lee'?" said Alazira.

"Oh, Lee this is Alazira," said Katara.

"You're a Prince, aren't you," said Alazira knowingly, looking Zuko up and down, her eyes lingering on his scar. A panicked look crossed Zuko's face.

"How do you know?" Zuko asked.

"I travel around a lot, so I pick up these things," said Alazira.

"Well," Alazira said, "It looks like my job here is done and there's a cute guy standing by the buffet so I'm gonna leave. Remember what I said Katara." With that, Alazira walked off.

"Well I'm gonna leave you two lovebirds alone," said Toph, walking off.

"What was Alazira talking about when told you to remember what she said?" asked Zuko. Katara repeated Alazira's plan of letting Aang and Sokka see her with him and let them see how happy she is with him.

"Are you sure that's smart?" said Zuko.

"I trust her," said Katara, "And it makes since. So let's dance." Katara took Zuko's hand, walking him onto the dance floor. Toph was dancing with Sokka while Aang sat by himself. Katara wrapped her arms around Zuko's neck while Zuko put his arms around her waist. The two of them were dancing dangerously close to Sokka and Aang.

"Zuko relax," Katara whispered to him. She began to play with the hair on the nape of Zuko's neck. He seemed to enjoy this and relaxed. Katara rested her head in on his chest, a smile playing across her face. Zuko smiled himself and gently rubbed her back. When a faster song began to play Zuko spun Katara around. Katara found herself laughing as she spun in and out of Zuko's arms. Even Zuko let out a chuckle. When the music stopped, the two of them went over to get something to eat. That was until a hand landed on Katara's shoulder. Katara turned around to see…

"Sokka," Katara said in surprise. Her brother's face was expressionless.

"I need to talk to you Katara," Sokka said.

**HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! THE EVIL CLIFFHANGER OF DOOM! I LOVE IT! Please Review!**


	10. Learning to Let Go

**I need a break **_**Nicholas and Alexandra, **_**so I decided to type up another chapter. And I felt bad, leaving you guys with such a huge cliffhanger. So here's chapter 10.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.**

"I don't want to Sokka," said Katara coldly. She was sick of Sokka trying to keep her away from Zuko.

"Katara, Aang's missing," Sokka said, glancing at Zuko, as if still believing that Zuko had kidnapped Aang. Katara wouldn't have believed Sokka if Toph hadn't came running toward them, soaking wet.

"I can't feel him anywhere," said Toph, "And it's pouring rain outside."

"Katara, is something wrong?" asked Alazira, suddenly appearing.

"Aang's missing," said Katara. She looked at Zuko.

"Zuko, I-" she began to say, but Zuko cut her off.

"Go find him," he said, giving her a soft smile. Katara smiled back, giving Zuko a quick hug before leaving out into the pouring rain.

"I'll help too," said Alazira.

"Me too," offered Zuko. Sokka looked at Zuko with anger in his ice blue eyes. He opened his mouth to say something, but Toph cut him off.

"We can trust him," she said. Sokka just nodded, but didn't look as if he liked the idea. But Toph could tell if people were lying. Zuko obviously wasn't lying.

"Where's Alazira?" asked Toph. Toph felt Alazira's vibrations suddenly disappear, as if she vanished into thin air. Zuko and Sokka look around and sure enough, Alazira was nowhere to be found.

**With Aang**

Aang sat by himself in the pouring rain on a small cliff near the palace, overlooking Ba Sing Se. Aang paid no attention to the rain soaking him so the mud staining his red and yellow robes. He didn't feel the painful sting of the cold wind on his face. The only thing Aang felt was his heart breaking into pieces. Seeing Katara so happy with Zuko was to much for the young Avatar. He longed to make her that happy. To make her laugh like that.

A sudden warmth appeared at the air bender's side. He turned to his right to see a girl kneeling their. She had smooth brown skin, wild waist length, emerald green eyes about Katara's, wearing a silk purple strapless gown with matching high heels. The gown had elegant gold flowers sewn into it.

What was odd was that this girl seemed untouched by the weather. She was perfectly dry, despite the downpour of rain. Her hair stayed in place despite the wind. Her clothes stayed clean, even though she was kneeling in mud.

"Aang, what's wrong?" she asked.

"How do you know my name?" asked Aang. The way his voice cracked, you could tell he had been crying, and probably still was, but it was hard to tell with all the rain.

"I'm Alazira," she said, "I'm from the Spirit World. I'm a spirit."

"Why are you here?" he asked.

"I'm the Spirit of Love," she said, "And I've been watching you and Katara. You two have a strong bond."

"I love her," said Aang, looking away from Alazira and back over the cliff, "But she loves Zuko."

"I know," said Alazira, "But Aang, you can't just mope around. You love Katara, right?"

"Yes," said Aang.

"You want to her to be happy?"

"Yes,"

"You would do anything to make her happy?"

"Of course,"

"Even if it meant letting her go to another man?" Aang thought for a moment.

"Yes," he finally said.

"Aang, it may feel like the end of the world because Katara loves Zuko, but it's not," said Alazira.

"I guess I'm scared that she'll forget about me. Give me up for Zuko," Aang admitted.

"She would never do that," said Alazira, "She cares about you too much. And Aang, I promise, one day, you'll find the right girl for you." For the first time in days, Aang smiled.

"Thanks," he said. Alazira smiled and disappeared right before his eyes. No sooner had she vanished that Aang heard a voice calling out his name. It was a familiar voice. Soft and caring, full of worry.

"AANG!" The voice said, once the person saw him. Aang turned around in time for Katara to drop onto her knees and crushed him into a hug. Her wet hair was plastered to her face, her dress soaked through and mud stained. Her body shook with sobs as she held Aang tightly. Aang got over the shock of her sudden hug and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her back.

"Never scare me like that again Aang," said Katara, "I've never been so scared in my life." Aang smiled. He saw Alazira hovering over the ground a few feet away. She smiled and mouthed 'I told you so,' before flying off, disappearing into the night sky. The rain suddenly stopped and the clouds discovered revealing a starry sky and a beautiful crescent moon.

"I'm sorry for worrying you Katara," Aang apologized.

"Just never do something like this again," said Katara, drying her tears once they broke apart.

"Katara, I'm sorry about the way I've been acting lately," said Aang, "I guess I was just shocked. But I want you to be happy. And if you're happy with Zuko, then I'm happy you're happy."

"So we're both happy," Katara giggled at Aang using happy four times in one sentence.

"Yeah," said Aang.

"Let's get back to the ball," said Katara, "Toph and Sokka are worried." The two friends stood up and made they're way back to the palace with the Spirit of Love, Alazira, watching over them.

**I like how this chapter turned out. Better than I thought it would. I was originally going to have Katara talk to Aang instead of Alazira. And someone needed to talk some since into Aang and I thought it woud be to hard for him to talk to Katara directly about it. This isn't the end though. There will be a few more chapters. Please Review!**


	11. UhOh

**Sorry it took me so long to update. Here's chapter 11. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.**

Aang and Katara returned to the ball, greeted by a relieved Sokka and Toph. On the way back to the palace Aang told Katara about Alazira being the Spirit of Love. Katara hung onto his every word amazed by what she heard. Katara looked around the room and noticed something wrong.

"Where's Zuko?" she asked. Toph suddenly became interested in showing Aang something across the room. Sokka frowned at his sister.

"Not here," he said. Katara was beginning to become quite annoyed with her older brother. She crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Then where is he," she asked angrily.

"I told him to leave," said Sokka calmly, "I don't want you hanging around him."

"Sokka! Where did he go?" asked Katara angrily.

"How should I know?!" shouted Sokka, "And you better not go looking for him!"

"Well too bad 'cause I AM!" yelled Katara, turning to leave. Sokka grabbed her wrist.

"Katara, you don't understand!" shouted Sokka, "I'm trying to protect you!"

"NO YOUR NOT!" shouted Katara, "YOU JUST CAN'T STAND THE THOUGHT OF YOUR LITTLE SISTER GROWING UP AND FALLING IN LOVE! I'M NOT A LITTLE GIRL ANYMORE SOKKA! I'M NOT THE SAME SCARED LITTLE GIRL I WAS WHEN MOM DIED OR WHEN DAD LEFT! I'M FIFTEEN AND IN CASE YOU HAVEN'T NOTICED IT BY NOW, **_I CAN TAKE CARE OF MYSELF!_**"

Every eye in the ballroom, including Aang and Toph's (well her ears at least) was now on Katara and Sokka. Sokka, shocked by his sister's outburst. Katara wrenched her wrist from Sokka's loosened grasp and stormed out of the ballroom. She went outside, where it had stopped raining. She stormed down the street in the direction of her house. It was all long walk and she was exhausted. She was surprised to see Zuko waiting outside the door.

"Zuko!" she said in surprise.

"Hey Katara," he said. He looked her up and down from her mud-stained dress to her hair, which was all over the place.

"What happened to you?" he asked as Katara opened the door and let them inside. Katara explained what had happened between her and Aang and her fight with Sokka.

"You can wait in my room while I get washed up," said Katara, "It's the third door on the right down the hall."

"What if your friends come in?" asked Zuko, "Or worse, your brother." Katara locked the door (which only locked and unlocked form the inside).

"Now they can't," she said with a smirk, turning to go to her room to grab her clothes and go to the bathroom.

Once she was done, Katara returned to her room in her usual Water Tribe clothes. She went over to the mirror to fix her hair back into its usual braid. Zuko stood up from her bed, where he had been sitting, and took her hand in his.

"Leave it out," Zuko said, referring to her hair, "It looks better." Zuko used his free hand to run his hand through her hair. He let go of her hand to wrap his arm around her waist.

"You're beautiful," he whispered in her ear. Zuko leaned down to kiss her neck. Katara tilted her head to give him better access.

"I love you," he mumbled into her skin.

"I love you too," she said. She tilted her head up to kiss him. The kiss became deeper as Zuko backed Katara up against the bed, both of them falling onto it, Zuko on top. Katara ran her hands through Zuko's shaggy black hair. They parted after a while and just lay there looking into each other's eyes. Zuko leaned down again to kiss Katara's forehead, then down to her cheeks, her jaw, her neck, and back up to her mouth in a kiss full of passion and love. Suddenly, the sound of a door breaking was heard. Katara and Zuko parted quickly. The door to Katara's room was still closed. There was the sound of footsteps. Only the footsteps of about three people.

"Search the entire house," said a familiar commanding voice, "Leave no room unchecked. They must be in here somewhere. The Di Lee saw them."

"Are you sure?" asked a familiar higher pitched voice.

"It seems awfully quiet," said a familiar bored voice. Zuko felt Katara become tense under him. And he knew why. The commanding voice made Zuko's heart stop. It was the voice of his sister. The Princess of the Fire Nation. Princess Azula.

**Uh-oh. Azula's here. Can you guess who the other two voices are. It doesn't exactly take a genius to figure it out. Keep reading to find out what happens next! Please Review!**


	12. The End and a New Beginning

**Here's the last chapter. I can't believe I got over 100 reviews! AVATAR SEASON 3 PRIMERE TONIGHT! WHOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks to everyone who reviewed:**

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**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.**

The door to Katara's room opened and in the doorway stood.

"Ewwww, I found them Azula," said Ty Lee, seeing Zuko on top of Katara on the bed.. Mai appeared next to her.

"Ew, gross," Mai said, turning her head away from the scene before her "I did _not _need to see that."

"Zuzu, you can surely do better than that water tribe peasant," said Azula, appearing in the doorway. Zuko and Katara got over their shock and scrambled off each other, standing up.

"What are you doing here Azula?" asked Zuko angrily.

"Is that any way to treat family?" asked Azula in a sickenly sweet voice.

"You're no family of mine," Zuko spat. He didn't like the smirk on Azula's face. It was a smirk he knew oh-too-well. A smirk Azula wore when everything was going to go her way.

"Zuko do you know why I came here?" asked Azula, casually checking her nails.

"Why?" grumbled Zuko.

"The Di Lee told me that they saw you walk in here alone," said Azula, her smirk still in place, "I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to kill you." Azula clenched her hand into a fist.

"But I didn't know you had a girlfriend," she said, looking at Katara.

"I'm going to let you live. But you'll live in agony and despair" said Azula, "I will attack you. I'll attack _your heart!_" At the last two words Azula shot lightning from her finger tips, aimed straight for Katara. The next part happened in slow motion. Zuko put himself between the lightning and Katara, using the technique Iroh showed him, Zuko deflected the lightning to the window, shattering the glass. Then, Zuko shot lightning out of _his _fingertips. The lightning hit Azula right in her heart. The Princess of the Fire Nation fell to the ground, dead. **(A/N: HALLELUJAH! Finally he's dead. I just had to kill her does happy dance. Okay, back to the story)**

Katara watched the whole thing in shock. Even Zuko was half amazed, half shocked at what he just did.

"Did I…" he said "Did I just…do _that_?" said Zuko, his eyes wide with shock. Mai and Ty Lee remained where they were standing with wide eyes. They didn't know how they felt about Azula's sudden death. Sure, they were friends, but half the reason, actually the full reason, Mai and Ty Lee had stayed with Azula is because they knew she would kill him if they didn't. Azula's death seemed to have given them both a feeling that they were free. Free from something that had been keeping them from their real lives. Ty Lee could finally return to the circus and Mai, well she could do whatever.

"I can't believe it," Ty Lee said.

"Azula's…dead," said Mai. Zuko looked up at them.

"Ty Lee, Mai, I'm-" Zuko began to say. Ty Lee smiled.

"Don't apologize," she said, "Azula had it coming. She's had her way for to long, ruining people's lives in the process."

"It's about time she was taken down," said Mai. She and Ty Lee picked up Azula's body.

"Wait," said Katara, finally speaking. She got a sheet out of the closet and put it over Azula's body.

"Even Azula deserves a little privacy, even in death," Katara said.

"Thank you," said Mai, "Oh and waterbender."

"Yes," said Katara.

"Break Zuko's heart and I'll break your neck. Slowly and painfully," Mai said with a small smirk. Katara smiled a nervous smile.

"Okay," she squeaked. Ty Lee and Mai left with Azula's body.

"I can't believe I did that," said Zuko. Katara put her hand on Zuko's shoulder.

"Are you okay Zuko?" asked Katara, not knowing how he would take the death of his sister. Zuko suddenly turned around and embraced Katara tightly.

"I almost lost you," he whispered into her hair, "I don't know what I'd do without you Katara." Katara felt something wet on her shoulder. Zuko's body shook. She knew he was crying and hugged him tightly.

"I'm right here Zuko," she said.

"Here they are!" yelled Toph at the doorway of Katara's room. Zuko and Katara broke apart just as Sokka and Aang appeared.

"KATARA!" cried Sokka and Aang, crushing the waterbender in a hug.

"What's up with the hugs," hew asked when they let her go.

"We saw Ty Lee and Mai leave here with what looked like a body," explained Sokka "We were scared to death that you had died. And I screamed at you. I felt horrible."

"Zuko saved me," said Katara, looking at Zuko, "He deflected the lightning Azula had aimed at me and killed her with his own lightning."

"You _killed _your own sister?!" said Aang in amazement.

"You saved Katara?!" said Sokka, shocked. Zuko nodded.

"Wow," said Sokka, "I never thought… Zuko I'm sorry about…"

"It's okay," said Zuko with a small smile, "You don't have to apologize."

"And Katara," said Sokka, turning to his sister, "I thought about you said. _Yelled _actually. But you were right. You're not a little girl anymore. You can take care of yourself." Katara hugged her brother.

"Thanks, Sokka," she said.

"Well, what do we do now?" said Toph.

"I'm hungry," said Sokka, leaving.

"I'm gonna go play with Momo," said Aang, also leaving.

"I'm gonna go practice earthbending," said Toph, leaving too.

"Why don't we go to the Jasmine Dragon," suggested Katara, looping her arm with Zuko's.

"Sure," said Zuko, smiling at her, "Ginseng tea as usual."

"No," said Katara, shaking her head, "I'd prefer a cup of hot, steamy love." She said, bring her face close to Zuko's.

"That can be arranged," said Zuko before their lips met in a passionate kiss.

**THE END! I'm sad to see this story go. It was fun to write.**

_MoonlightSpirit_


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